Evaluating the success of direct seeding for tropical forest restoration over ten years

Background

The main causes of deforestation in the Amazon are large-scale agriculture and cattle ranching, which have led to the loss of millions of hectares of forest. To address this issue, different mechanisms have been implemented since 2005 to reduce deforestation and increase forest restoration.  However, highly modified, degraded areas with a long history of use may take a long time to regenerate naturally or may not recover into a secondary forest. Therefore, active restoration methods are needed to accomplish this massive obligation.

Goals and methods

The goals of this paper are to evaluate the effectiveness of direct seeding as a method for large-scale forest restoration in the Xingu river basin in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and to compare the successional trajectory and forest structure of direct seeding with natural regeneration and seedling planting. The paper also seeks to assess the influence of environmental variables, such as soil fertility, water availability, and forest cover, on vegetation structure in the direct-seeded sites. 

conclusions and Takeaways

Direct seeding is a successful method for the initial phase of forest restoration in the Xingu river basin in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study found that direct-seeded sites developed a multi-layered canopy and were starting to be colonized by non-planted species after four years. The research also highlighted the influence of environmental variables, such as soil fertility, on vegetation structure in the direct-seeded sites. Overall, direct seeding was a successful method for the initial phase of forest restoration, promoting a structure that was more similar to resilient natural regeneration sites than to non-resilient natural regeneration sites.